My investigative reporting, along with the fine work done by Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal and the team at Awful Announcing, indicates that if Main Street Sports Group doesn’t secure a financial lifeline within the next 60 days, its FanDuel‑branded regional sports networks could cease operations in 2026. Such a collapse would leave the Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Heat, Miami Marlins, and several other NBA, NHL, and MLB franchises scrambling for new broadcast partners.
DAZN’s attempt to acquire Main Street Sports Group — the parent company of the FanDuel‑branded regional sports networks — represents one of the most consequential media‑rights moves in years. According to reporting my reporting as well as the Sports Business Journal and Awful Announcing, the networks are “on their death bed” unless the DAZN deal closes by January. For DAZN, a global streaming platform, the acquisition would provide a ready‑made portfolio of NBA, NHL, and MLB rights across 29 franchises. The company’s long‑term vision reportedly includes integrating these RSNs into a unified streaming ecosystem, modernizing distribution, and reducing reliance on traditional cable carriage. For teams, the deal could offer stability after years of RSN turmoil.
What Happens If DAZN Can’t Close the Deal by January?
If DAZN walks away or negotiations stall past the January deadline, the consequences could be immediate and severe. Main Street Sports Group has already missed a December rights payment to the St. Louis Cardinals, raising alarms across MLB. SBJ reporting indicates that if the sale collapses, Main Street would “wind down and dissolve” the FanDuel Sports Networks at the end of the NBA and NHL regular seasons — or potentially mid‑season if cash flow deteriorates further. For MLB teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, this raises urgent questions. Would their contracts revert back to the clubs, as happened during the Diamond Sports bankruptcy? Would MLB step in again with MLB.TV and temporary over‑the‑air deals? The league has precedent — but the timing, just before the 2026 season, would be chaotic.
NBA and NHL Preparing for a Mid‑Season RSN Collapse
The NBA is already preparing for the possibility that Main Street could fold before the season ends. According to SBJ, the league is ready to shift broadcasts for the 13 affected teams onto NBA League Pass and quickly negotiate over‑the‑air partnerships to maintain linear distribution. The NHL faces similar exposure, with multiple teams relying on FanDuel RSNs for local coverage. Both leagues have been quietly modeling contingency plans since the Diamond Sports bankruptcy, and the Main Street situation has accelerated those efforts.
Leagues Taking Games In‑House — and New Partners Emerging
If Main Street collapses, leagues may again take control of local broadcasts. MLB already demonstrated this model in San Diego and Arizona, where it produced games in‑house and distributed them via MLB.TV and local broadcast partners.
How the Lightning and Panthers Dumped the RSN Model for a Hybrid Broadcast Future
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers have already moved beyond the collapsing RSN model, embracing a hybrid distribution strategy built around free over‑the‑air broadcasts and direct‑to‑consumer streaming. Beginning with the 2025–26 season, the Lightning shifted all non‑national games from the FanDuel Sports Network to Scripps Sports, airing locally on WXPX‑TV and simultaneously streaming through the team’s official app — a move designed to make games accessible “to all households in Tampa Bay” via antenna, cable, satellite, or digital platforms.
The Lightning’s new model also extends coverage across Florida markets such as Orlando, Gainesville, Tallahassee, and Pensacola, while offering a low‑cost subscription streaming option for fans inside the broadcast territory. The Panthers have followed a similar path, partnering with Scripps Sports to deliver games on free broadcast TV in South Florida while integrating league‑controlled streaming through NHL platforms — a structure that mirrors the Lightning’s approach and reflects the NHL’s broader shift toward flexible, multi‑platform distribution. Together, the two Florida franchises have become early adopters of a post‑RSN ecosystem, proving that teams can maintain — and even expand — reach without relying on the traditional cable‑bundle model.
The Magic, Heat, Rays and Marlins Could Be Looing For Partners
If Main Street Sports Group collapses before the end of the NBA and NHL seasons — or before MLB’s 2026 campaign begins — every franchise tied to the FanDuel‑branded RSNs would face a different level of disruption. For the Orlando Magic, the loss of their RSN partner would force the franchise to pivot quickly toward either a league‑run solution through NBA League Pass or a temporary over‑the‑air arrangement in the Orlando market. The Miami Heat would face similar challenges, with one of the league’s most valuable local TV products suddenly without a distribution home. Both teams rely heavily on RSN revenue to support operations, and a mid‑season blackout would create immediate pressure on the NBA to step in with a centralized production and streaming plan.
The Tampa Bay Rays, already operating in one of the league’s most complex media markets, could find themselves without a local TV partner just weeks before Opening Day. MLB has experience stepping in — as it did in San Diego and Arizona — but producing and distributing a full season of games on short notice would strain league resources. The Miami Marlins, who depend heavily on RSN revenue to stabilize their financial model, would face even greater uncertainty. A collapse of Main Street could force MLB to accelerate its long‑term vision of a centralized, league‑controlled streaming platform, but the transition would be messy, rushed, and potentially costly for teams and fans.
Across all three leagues, the common thread is vulnerability. Each franchise would be forced into emergency mode, relying on league offices to secure temporary broadcast homes while long‑term media strategies are rebuilt. The collapse of Main Street wouldn’t just disrupt programming — it would reshape the economics, distribution, and fan engagement strategies of every team caught in the fallout.
Will Amazon, Apple, YouTube, and Other Streamers Step In?
The collapse of another RSN group would create a rare opening for tech giants. Amazon already holds stakes in YES Network and streams multiple MLB and NFL packages. Apple has experimented with exclusive MLB and MLS rights. YouTube TV remains one of the largest virtual MVPDs and could pursue local sports to differentiate its offering. If DAZN falters, these companies could bid for individual team packages, partner with leagues on hybrid models, or even acquire RSN assets outright. The shift toward streaming‑first distribution is accelerating, and the Main Street crisis may force leagues to embrace it sooner than planned.
Is This the Beginning of the End for Regional Sports Networks?
The RSN model has been eroding for nearly a decade, but the potential collapse of Main Street — following Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy — may mark the true tipping point. Cord‑cutting has gutted subscriber bases, rights fees have outpaced revenue, and teams increasingly prefer direct‑to‑consumer control. If DAZN completes the acquisition, it could represent a new, streaming‑centric version of the RSN. If the deal fails, it may accelerate the demise of the traditional model entirely. Either way, the next 60 days will shape the future of local sports broadcasting for years to come.
